Grandfather
by Meldirieth
Summary: "In the hearts of a woman there's always room for her grandfather." An expected meeting between the Doctor and Susan. 9th story of "The Lonely Star" series.
1. Chapter 1

"One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye Susan. Goodbye my dear."

The First Doctor – "The Dalek invasion of Earth"

* * *

"Hang on Doctor!" Sarah said, going to the TARDIS with the semiconscious Time Lord leaning on her shoulder.

He was heavy for her, but she had to get to the ship as soon as possible. He was pale, wounded in his right side, losing a lot of blood and about to faint or something worse. Those were the occupational hazards.

"You're bleeding out, you need blood, Doctor. We must go to Gallifrey, your people can help you," said Sarah, terribly worried. The Time Lord was leaving a significant trail of blood, but thankfully they had reached the blue box.

Sarah took him to the console, where the Doctor, after pressing weakly the controls that would lead them to their next destination, fell to the ground without the girl could avoid it. She took a handkerchief from her pocket and tried to stop the bleeding with it.

"Doctor! Doctor, don't sleep. Let's go to Gallifrey," the young journalist patted her companion's cheek so that he didn't lose consciousness. It was dangerous, because he could not reawaken.

"Gallifrey is not place for us ... Susan ... we go to Earth ..." said the Doctor, his voice weak, tired, his blue eyes staring into nowhere.

"I'm Sarah." The girl was scared.

"Arkytior ... Arkytior ..." He was saying something that Sarah did not understand, so she assumed he was speaking in his native language.

"Don't sleep, stay with me, please."

"Arkytior ..."

He was no longer with her. His dying body was there but his mind had travelled to a place where Sarah's voice could not reach him.

Still far away in time and space, a young girl with short black hair accidentally dropped a glass.

"Susan, what happens?"

"David, call Dr. Richardson, quick!" said the girl.

"Are you sick?"

"He is coming! And he needs my help!"

David Campbell didn't know exactly what his wife was saying, but he was quickly to call their trustworthy doctor.

* * *

The Doctor had lost consciousness completely. Sarah was trying to stop the flow of blood that was escaping from the wound, keeping calm everything she could. She was so absorbed in her task that she didn't realize that the TARDIS had landed until she heard that someone was banging on the door insistently. The journalist got up and opened the door with bloodstained hands; there was no time to clean them. A black haired girl came in hasty and, without saying a word, she knelt beside the Doctor.

"Grandfather!" she said in a worried voice.

After a few seconds trying to assimilate the scene, Sarah thought she understood who that mysterious girl was.

"Arkytior?"


	2. Chapter 2

Grandfather. That girl had called him grandfather.

They were on a planet unknown to her, trying to help its people in need. So far so usual. The Doctor had been wounded by his cornered enemy, which also happened every day, and now Sarah was in the waiting room of a hospital in London in the 22nd Century waiting for the Doctor to recover in the company of a young woman who claimed to be his granddaughter.

His granddaughter!

She had always assumed that the Doctor had had wife on Gallifrey, even children, his paternal instinct was very developed, but each time the girl asked he always changed the subject. Sarah thought that maybe he lost his family in a dramatic way, hence his great efforts to save people from danger. What the journalist never thought is that he had a granddaughter on Earth. No matter how long they two were together, the Doctor will always be full of surprises for her.

* * *

He had been shot. The bullet grazed his right side.

"Doctor!" Sarah cried.

"Don't worry, it's just a scratch," he reassured her as he focused on stopping his foe.

And he succeeded. Once again the Time Lord had managed to save the day, but as always, he had ignored his own welfare.

"DOCTOR!" Sarah cried horrified to see the pool of blood at the foot of her beloved companion, his face pale as a corpse, and the hand that covered his 'scratch' completely soaked in blood.

The gallifreyan put his hand to his side and was surprised to feel it dry. He felt no pain and what he was touching was not an open wound, but rather bandages.

"You finally come round," said a familiar voice. "You've given a good scare to your friend. You had a deep and bleeding wound, but when they did you a transfusion with my blood, you started to recover quickly. Soon you'll be able to return to the TARDIS."

He opened his eyes and looked to where the voice came, unable to hide his surprise.

"Susan ..."

"Hello, grandfather."

"You ... You have given me your blood?"

"That's why you came to see me after so long," said Susan, her voice broken by grief.

"What? No, I don't ... it wasn't for this, Susan. I thought I was going to die and wouldn't have enough energy to regenerate. I wanted to see my granddaughter one last time. It was the last wish of a stupid dying old man."

"Oh, grandfather." Susan hugged her grandfather with tears of joy wetting her face. "I'd never let you die without trying to save you."

"I know, my dear Susan." The Time Lord wrapped the girl with his arms also feeling tears in his big eyes, and though he always avoided them, this time he didn't.

From the other side of the door Sarah Jane heard voices and the sound of tears mixed with laughter. The Doctor had woken. The girl's heart could finally calm down while she contained the urge to break into the room and hug her dear Time Lord. Time. Time was what he needed now. Time to catch up with his granddaughter.

The young journalist was taking her second cup of coffee when the man who had introduced her as David Campbell, Susan's husband, entered the room of the gallifreyan accompanied by two boys, a girl and a baby. Sarah looked at them open-mouthed; those were the great-grandchildren of the Doctor! Sarah smiled.

"You're not as alone as you thought, my dear."

* * *

Susan introduced the children to her grandfather.

"These are Ian, Barbara and David Jr." she said. _"They're adopted,"_ she added telepathically.

The Doctor smiled at the children of his granddaughter.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor. Would you like a jelly baby? Susan, take the bag from my coat pocket."

"Now do you eat candies, grandfather?" Susan asked with a fun smile.

"I eat them moderately, and brush my teeth after eating," replied the Doctor, trying to set a good example for the children.

The black-haired girl gave the bag of candy to his eldest son, which he shared with his brother and sister. The Doctor was looking at them still smiling.

_"Ian and Barbara ..."_ he said telepathically. _"I remember them every day."_

_"Me too, grandfather. And sure they also thought a lot about us."_

David gave the baby to Susan, who put him in the arms of the Time Lord.

"This is Alex," she said._ "It's our biological child."_

_"Half Time Lord,"_ he said still looking at the baby who was soundly asleep in his arms.

_"One heart, if you're wondering."_

_"The number of hearts is not important."_ He turned his gaze to the older children and smiled. "I'm a great-grandfather."


	3. Chapter 3

David left the room. The little Barbara had told him that she was thirsty and wanted apple juice, and instantly her brothers took the opportunity to ask for drink too. Sarah looked at him thoughtfully, trying to muster up the courage to talk to him because she wanted to deal with a sensitive issue with the human. When the man returned with the juice cans Sarah approached him before he came into the room again.

"Mr. Campbell, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course ... Miss Smith was your name, wasn't it?"

Sarah nodded. "How is it?" she asked, a little nervous.

"How is what?" David didn't know exactly what the young journalist was asking.

"To spend your life with a Time Lord."

"You and the Doctor ...? David began to ask, finally understanding the situation. Sarah nodded again. "Do you want the truth or a white lie?"

"The truth. I'll endure it," she said with a decision not exempt from fear.

"It's not a bed of roses. Susan is not a human being, she doesn't age at our pace, and she herself tries to fake a more adult look." Sarah had realized from the beginning that the girl wore clothes and makeup more like an adult woman than a young girl, but she gave no importance to be accustomed to the peculiar fashion sense of the Time Lords. David continued. "I'm increasingly old and I'll die long before her. Our children will too, even Alex, being half human I'm sure. She'll stay alone and I don't even know if she'll be able to return to her home on Gallifrey ... or if Gallifrey will continue to be her home. We've made some friends, like Dr. Richardson, who has taken care of the Doctor urgently and with totally privacy, but few people accept Susan, so we often have to hide, which is very hard for the children, and when she gets sick we can't treat her with our medicines, as these would kill her." Those were all the negative aspects that Sarah already knew. In all the time that David and Susan had been together there had been no moment of joy worth being remembered? "My dear girl, loving a Time Lord is something very hard ... and wonderful." David gestured with his head toward the door ajar to indicate Sarah to look at the scene that was taking place inside the room: Susan was combing Barbara's hair while Ian and David Jr. were telling their pranks to the Doctor, who was cradling the little Alex in his lap. Sarah smiled to see that tender family scene. "Despite the difficulties I don't regret marrying Susan Foreman. Hope this helps," said the man before leaving her to go back with them.

The girl stared at the inside of the room, feeling within herself a great joy for the Doctor, who was finally getting what he had been longing for since he left Susan: To form again part of his granddaughter's life. Sarah then realized that the Time Lord was watching her from his bed, smiling and with extended hand, inviting her to come in and join them. With faltering step she approached him and took his hand.

"Family, this is Sarah Jane Smith, someone very special to me," said the Gallifreyan still smiling. And Sarah really felt part of something special: she was part of the Doctor's family.


	4. Chapter 4

Susan, David and the children accompanied the Doctor and Sarah on their way back to the TARDIS. Susan was talking with Sarah while David was carrying Alex's stroller and the Doctor was sharing out more jelly babies among the children. He behaved like a real grandfather, although by his appearance he could seem their uncle. Upon reaching the blue box, Susan hugged Sarah.

"Thank you," said the gallifreyan girl.

"Why?" asked the journalist, surprised.

"For taking care of him," she said.

"No need to thank me, we take care of each other."

Susan smiled. "His body is now young and strong, but for me he'll always be my dear grandpa."

Sarah smiled at the short haired girl, said goodbye to David and the children and entered the TARDIS. David also said goodbye to the Doctor and took the children home, leaving the Time Lords alone to say goodbye.

"Grandfather ..." Susan began when they were alone. There was something she had long been wondering and now was the time to know the answer. "Tell me the truth. Why did you not come to see me before?"

"Oh, my dear ..." he was willing to open up to her, he owed her, but after spending a wonderful day with his family he felt that the answer that he was going to give her was a solemn stupidity, so he couldn't help feeling embarrassed while talking. "Look what you have achieved, what you've become ... I was afraid that there was no longer room for me in your hearts," he said.

"Don't talk nonsense. In the hearts of a woman there's always room for her grandfather." The girl's reply was a great relief for the gallifreyan. They exchanged one of those knowing smiles so frequent when they travelled together.

"You've formed a large family. I'm very proud of you, my Susan," said the Doctor, his voice not devoid of emotion.

"Take care, grandfather, and don't expect to need a transfusion or a kidney to come to see me. Next time I won't be so generous," Susan said with a smile.

The Doctor gave a long hug to his granddaughter before entering the ship. Susan stared at the TARDIS as it disappeared with her eyes wet with tears of happiness. Her greatest wish had come true. After so long, she had finally seen her grandfather again.

The End


End file.
